Blinded By Light
by ThereAndBack
Summary: Meet Spencer Carlin: 22, blind, and drowning in the same old, everyday routine. Yet, the unexpected arrival of a new neighbor changes Spencer's life in ways she'd never imagine.
1. Chapter 1

New story. The next chapter to Glass Houses and Stone Envelopes will be posted tonight. Promise. :)

Hope this is at least, slightly intriguing. Please, please, please Read & Review. I just want to know if I should keep this one going.

**Disclaimer: I own nada...except for my own imagination and story line. **

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**Chapter 1**

Spencer rocked lightly, gentle breeze dancing across her face, as she leaned further into the porch swing. Bear, her German shepherd, rested its head upon her lap, relaxed in his owner's company.

It had been a relatively quiet afternoon, birds singing routinely as near-by squirrels searched for their afternoon snack. Wafting from the house was the filling aroma of Chelsea's mid-day meal, a cream-of-broccoli soup with lightly buttered garlic toast.

Behind her, the blonde heard the creaking of the wooden floorboards followed by the slight creak of the screen door.

"You ready to eat?" the blonde's friend offered heartily.

Spencer heard the placement of a wooden fold-away table in front of her, ceasing her gentle rocking movements as she sat up on her porch swing. Bear smoothly hopped off of the swing before disappearing into the house as Chelsea set a bowl of soup and utensils on the make-shift table.

"We're getting new neighbors…" Chelsea voiced out loud, peering out at the U-Haul across the street.

"I figured it was something like that," the blonde said after a moment, swallowing her soup. "Who moved?"

"Mrs. Peterson from across the street…" Chelsea lightly sat beside Spencer, crossing her legs as she relaxed into the porch swing. "Bout damn time, that old woman was gonna drive me crazy."

Spencer chuckled. "She's not that bad, Chels…"

"Spencer, you always tend to see the good in people…but she certainly had a dark side—just call her Darth Vader."

The blonde shook her head, smiling at Chelsea's innate stubbornness. "You'd think, with my lack of vision and all, and your…not so lack of vision, that you'd be the one 'seeing' the good side of people."

Chelsea smirked. "Yea, well…life's crazy like that. Stevie Wonder could probably see the old bat was delusional. You're just…strangely nice."

This time, Spencer laughed, hot soup nearly spraying from her mouth. "Strangely nice, am I?" Spencer managed to say between laughs. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Good…" Chelsea affirmed. The two sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, Chelsea in quiet observation of the movers across the street while Spencer continued the intake of her soup.

"She looks young…" Chelsea said after a long silence, more to herself than to Spencer, but the blonde couldn't help but display some interest.

"Who looks young?"

"Oh…" Chelsea, quickly stated, "The new chick across the street. She can't be any older than her early twenties."

"Hmm…" the blonde wondered, "Is she by herself?"

"I think so…besides the two guys helping her unpack, I think she's by herself."

"Oh…what does she look like?" Spencer asked, strangely curious.

"Umm…she's about your height I think, skinny, but in a work-out-and-run-10-miles-everyday kind of way, not the I-ate-a-pretzel-I'm-gonna-go-purge kind of skinny." Spencer laughed once more as Chelsea continued, not missing a beat. "I can't really tell the exact color of her hair, but it's mostly brown and pulled back into a bun. Oh…and she's dressed simply in appropriately tight jeans and a white cami."

Spencer sat for a moment, painting the image to her mind before remarking on Chelsea's extravagant details. "'Appropriately tight jeans'?"

"Yeah…you know. The kind that hugs you in all the right places," Chelsea responded, matter-of-factly.

Spencer laughed. "Chels, if I didn't know you any better I'd think you were into that sorta thing."

"Nope, That's your thing, Spence. But I do appreciate the female form from time to time!" Chelsea responded. Spencer laughed harder.

Hilarity subsided and before long Spencer finished her small dinner. Not much more was said between the two friends and after a while, Chelsea excused herself, bringing Spencer's dishes in the house with her. Bear made his way towards his owner, lightly jumping on the porch swing next to the blonde, and rested his head on her lap.

She started to rock, thinking of nothing in particular.

***

"Put that in the house—but don't drop it—it's breakable."

The slighter taller man next to Ashley nodded as he easily lifted the heavy box full of—whatever—and walked off to the door. The young woman ran her fingers through her hair.

She was on her own. No nagging mother. No alcoholic father. Definitely no self-obsessed older brother. She was free to carve her own path, and moving halfway across the country was certainly a start.

The young brunette looked up briefly. The woman across the street was still sitting on the porch swing, she noticed, but this time the copper-skinned woman who had been seated next to her was gone.

"Where do you want this box, Ashley?"

Quickly brought out of her daze, the girl named Ashley looked to her left where a significantly taller man stood holding a box of CDs.

"Um…put that in the house, Aiden. Is that everything from the truck?"

"Yea, this is the last of it."

"Okay, well, tell Nick that you and him are free to go. I can do the rest."

"Alright, then. I'll swing by tomorrow to see if you need some help."

Ashley nodded as Aiden walked past her and into the house. She looked back across the street, the woman seated at the porch swing still rocking to the gentle breeze. Ashley couldn't tell what she looked like, her body hidden by the shadows of the roof, and she found it strange that the girl hadn't put the porch lights on. The woman just seemed to gaze dreamily, relaxed in the comfort of her porch swing with her dog. But, despite the other woman's laid back behavior, Ashley was strangely drawn to her. She was curious, by all means, and couldn't understand why.

"Alright, Ash. Like I said, we'll swing by tomorrow." Nick quickly said a good-bye before making his way to his friend's black Jeep. They drove off after a moment, Ashley making a small-waving gesture before they passed.

Ashley watched the leaving vehicle, thinking of nothing in general, before noticing the sudden presence of light illuminating the previously dark porch across the street. It was the copper-skinned woman, most likely rejoining the other female in some sort of friendly companionship. The curious brunette couldn't shake the slight tingling she felt as she watched the woman from afar; the blond-haired woman who enticed some sort of unwavering fascination within.

Ashley watched as the German Shepherd awoke from the lap of the blonde, gently hopping off the porch swing, and made it's way—almost human-like—into the small house. It was almost as if the dog knew the two friends would be chatting about subjects irrelevant to him—subjects meant for only two adult woman. It brought a pensive smile to the brunette's face, as she witnessed the perhaps, routine, interaction. It seemed so familial, so loving. She couldn't help but feel a small pang of longing in her chest.

It was something she'd never had.

Tearing her gaze away from the exchanges, Ashley brought her attention to her new home. _Her_ new home.

It was _her_ home, a new life. A sudden excitement washed over her as she bathed in the awareness. There was something here, she felt its inexplicable presence in her chest. Her strange introduction into new living.

She looked back towards the porch, immediately spotting the blonde.

Tingles washed over her as she walked into her home, taking the first steps into her new life.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I'm kind embarrassed to start posting again. All I can really give is my sincerest apologies and to really put some effort (and self-discipline) into my fics. Thank you for all of the beautiful reviews. They are always appreciated. Also, there are two things I would like to mention:**

**The first, I realize that the first few chapters may seem rather slow and boring. Still, they are necessary for the plot and hopefully it's not too much of a drag. :)**

**The second, I want to just say that I am in no way pretending to understand how one who is blind would feel, think, act, etc. They are as much human as everyone else, and I hope to portray that in this fic. I do not ever intend to offend, if that is ever the case. **

**Thank you for giving this a chance...I will stop rambling now.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline and random original characters. **

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**Chapter 2**

Spencer Carlin sighed as she relaxed her body to the earth beneath her, grass tickling her bare legs and arms, as she lay sheltered by a blooming willow tree. Arms folded up behind her head, she closed her eyes to the tranquility, listening to random cracklings of the busy woodland animals and singing birds within the lively springtime environment.

She had tried to escape any company. Wanting to be alone, she left her house and traveled through a nearby woods. The chirping of the birds lured her further into the nature, the singing of the blue jays almost magical—the cliché didn't go unacknowledged. After a few moments of walking, she knew that the guarding trees would let out into a small, grassy creek, the area where she presently rested.

"Spencer…" a voice called out, breaking the serenity.

The blonde sighed softly, making no movements as she heard her name being called from a nearby distance. Whoever it was, was sure to find her, to Spencer's slight disappointment, and the blonde was, in no way, going to help the adamant seeker.

"Spencer…" she heard the voice call again. It was closer now.

Too close.

Maybe the person would take a different route, somehow being distracted by another trail. Perhaps she would be chased off by some wild squirrel or…

"Spencer!"

…or maybe she would find her anyway.

Spencer felt a looming shadow engulf her, a small smile tugging at her lips as familiar sweet perfume filled the air.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The blonde smiled fully now, the annoyance that so recently enveloped her immediately washed away by the known bemused voice overhead.

"I'm lying down, Chelsea," Spencer spoke simply.

Chelsea scoffed. "No shit, Sherlock," the girl snapped, irritated. "_Why _are you here? You _know_ you're not supposed to leave without someone with you."

Spencer ignored the aggravated tone in her best friend's voice and responded calmly once again. "I'm not five Chels, I can take care of myself…"

"But Spence," Chelsea began, her tone immediately deflated of any evidence of displeasure. "You could've been hurt. How did you even make it through here?"

"Look, I apologize for worrying you…but I don't apologize for leaving. I just wanted time to myself."

"You could've been—"

"I _know _that, Chels."

"Spencer…I told your Dad that I would look after you if you came to live with me…I can't do _that_ if you keep doing _this_," Chelsea sighed, feebly and unnecessarily signaling with her hands.

Once again, a gentle breeze drifted across Spencer's face as she lay in silence. She understood her friend's dilemma. She really did.

But the same everyday agenda was killing her. She felt like a prisoner, confined behind the bars of her disability—her lifetime sentence with no parole.

"Chelsea, you just can't understand how frustrating it is for me to just sit around and do absolutely nothing. I can't just rock on porch swings or—or sit around the house and listen to the same damn T.V. shows. I just can't do it."

Spencer heard the cracking of small twigs beneath Chelsea's approaching figure. A moment later, she felt her friend sit beside her, legs drawn up in a way that allowed her head to rest on her knees and her arms to wrap around her legs.

Spencer remained silent, ears tuned into the relaxing sounds of nature. The rustling; the sighing breeze; the small, busy animals—it was a refreshing change from the typical.

"You're right, Spencer. I can't possibly understand how you feel. But you can't understand how I worry about you when you leave like that. It's not even about what I promised your Dad, Spence—I've known you my whole life. I care so much…I just wish you would tell me before you leave. Or bring Bear with you."

The blonde chuckled softly at Chelsea's last few words. "You'd still worry, Chels."

"But I'd worry less," her friend said with a smile.

"I didn't know you could be so…sentimental," Spencer joked, causing Chelsea to roll her eyes playfully.

"Hell, I had to say something so you'd feel guilty."

Spencer laughed "Well…you did a great job of doing that."

Chelsea chuckled this time, waiting a few minutes before speaking. "Will you just let me know when you leave…please?"

Spencer fought back a tired sigh. "Yeah…I will."

"Thank you. Now let's go meet our new neighbor."

A strange anticipation shot through her after hearing Chelsea's words. She smiled as she spoke.

"Let's go."

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"More…more…Hmmm…more…"

"Ugh! I can't do anymore than this!"

"It's crooked, Aiden. More to the right."

Aiden obliged, grudgingly shifting the large frame to the right…just as she said nearly ten minutes ago.

"Dude! It's the exact same as it was before!" he cried out, annoyed.

Ashley held back her smirk, laughing internally. _Sucka…_

"You're such an ass, Ashley," the man whined, straightening his t-shirt as he smoothed out the ruffles.

"God, Aiden," the brunette stated, playfully rolling her eyes, "you're such a big 'ol crybaby."

"Look, are we done here? I have stuff to do."

"You?" Ashley questioned, failing to hide her skepticism. "Have _stuff_ to do?"

"Yes," he stated, matter-of-factly, "_I_, as in _moi, _am quite busy today. So if I am done nailing your belongings to the wall, I would like to get to my _stuff_."

Ashley shook her head, a small smile on her face. _Such a girl…_

"Of course, Aiden. I'd hate to keep you from your _stuff_. Whatever that is."

"Right…" her friend slowly muttered, "well I better get going then."

"Okay."

Aiden looked around, somewhat put down. "So…you're not interested?"

Ashley lifted an eyebrow, amused. "Interested in?"

"What I have planned today…" Aiden started, even more put off. "You don't wanna know?"

The brunette snorted. "Not really."

"Well…fine." he pouted, lip poking out like an upset five-year old.

Ashley sighed heavily before asking in an annoyed, monotone voice, "What are you doing, Aiden?"

"You don't really wanna know…"

"You're right, I don't."

"Ash_ley_…" he whined.

"Okay o_kay_…so what are you doing today?" she asked, her now chipper voice laced with underlying sarcasm. He ignored it.

"I have a date!"

"Oh?" the brunette questioned, somewhat interested. "What's her name?"

"His name is Jaime."

"Aw, that's nice. I hope you two…wait, his?"

He smiled, coyly. "Yup"

"Like…a him?"

"Mhm."

Beat.

"Like…a penis?"

"Indeed."

"Right." she nodded. "So…you're gay?"

Aiden smiled shyly, a slight tinge of pink forming on his cheeks. "I am."

Ashley stared at him, silent for several long seconds. Then, before her tousled-hair friend had time to blink, she lunged at him. Wrapping her slender, but strong arms around his neck, she pulled him into a hug, ecstatic.

"AAAHHH! I knew it!" her muffled voice exclaimed. "All these years, I knew it!"

Aiden hugged her tightly, grin stretching ear to ear. "I know, Ash…" he said, pulling out of the embrace. "I think I always knew, too. I just needed the right person to make it real, I guess. Jaime's helped me realize that."

"Aww, Aiden. I'm really happy for you…and really glad I was right," she chuckled fondly, pulling him in for another quick hug.

"Thank you," he smiled. "Now as much as I would love to stand here and catch you up on my gayness, I should probably get going. Don't wanna be late."

"Okay," she smiled, following behind him to the door. "And I want to meet him…soon."

"You shall. See ya later."

As he stepped out of the door, Ashley called him back. When he turned around, eyebrows raised in curiosity, he noted the sly smile on her face.

"Thanks for coming out today."

He smiled at her words.

* * *

Ashley's eyes were fixed upon the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come to her.

She tried to count sheep, but there were only so many cotton-looking, wool-wearing animals she could allow to hippity-hop through her dreams before becoming quite annoyed.

She tried to read a book, but not even the dictionary she found in one of boxes could put her to sleep.

She tried to watch television, but seeing as she had no cable and every channel the brunette turned to was gray and fuzzy, the idea was quickly trashed.

So there she lay in her newly assembled bed, tossing and turning, trying to find sleep. Granted, it was only four-something in the afternoon and she did have a million boxes to unpack—but that was far too boring. She had, in a desperate mind, thought to call Aiden before remembering his date. _I need to find some friends…_

After a few passing moments, a distant sing-songy ring cut through her thoughts.

Fixing her inevitable bed-head, disgruntled appearance she made her way to her front door. Upon opening it, she was surprised to see the dark-skinned women from across the street.

"Hey new neighbor!" Chelsea exclaimed as she held out a fairly large fruit basket. Ashley accepted graciously, offering a sincere smile.

"Thank you…I didn't know people still did this sort of thing."

The woman laughed. "Yeah, I'm pretty old-school. The name's Chelsea, by the way," she added, holding out her hand. "Chelsea Lewis."

"I'm Ashley," the brunette responded, shifting the basket as to greet the woman properly. "Ashley Davies."

"Nice to meet ya," Chelsea smiled.

"Likewise. Would you like to come in? I have a thousand and one boxes scattered about, but I can make some room."

"Well, actually…I was wondering, if you'd like to have dinner with us tonight?"

"Us?"

"Oh yeah. I'm getting a little ahead of myself," she chuckled lightly, "My friend, Spencer and I. We live across the street in that beige house over there."

"Ummm…" Ashley hesitated.

"I'm making sweet potato pi-ie," Chelsea sang.

Ashley was sold.


	3. Chapter 3

Ashley eyed her reflection for no other reason than out of complete and utter boredom. In fact, for the past eighteen minutes, she sat at her desk making faces of the most ridiculous sort amusing herself far more than she'd care to admit. In the midst of making a particularly goofy face, widening her eyes and puffing her cheeks like a blowfish, she lightly chided herself. With a glance at her cell phone and a shake of her head, she sighed deeply. It was only 5:43pm a little more than an hour since Chelsea had invited her to dinner and about an hour before she was due to be there.

She could, of course, go through the boxes she'd been putting off unpacking…again. But, ever the procrastinator, decided that an hour wasn't enough time for much of anything she'd do it tomorrow.

She groaned for the umpteenth time that night before suddenly making a decision. Checking her reflection once again, she grabbed her keys before heading out the door.

"Oh, hey Ashley! You're early," Chelsea smiled, surprised.

"Yeah," the brunette smiled sheepishly, "I hope you don't mind. I was kind of bored." She raised her hand, gripping a bottle of red wine. "Figured I'd bring something."

"Thanks! And it's fine," she offered. "Come on in, make yourself at home. Hope you like parmesan chicken?"

"Mmm," Ashley smiled, "_love_ it."

"Great! It'll be done soon."

Ashley looked around, stepping across the threshold as she followed Chelsea into the house. She noticed it was slightly larger than her own home, comfortable and inviting.

"Spencer's out back with Bear," Chelsea mentioned as she made her way into the hallway towards the kitchen. Ashley followed her, placing the wine bottle on the kitchen counter.

"Bear?" she asked, interested, slipping her hands into her back pockets as she leaned against the door frame.

"Mhm, her guide dog."

_Guide dog? _

As if by some act of higher-power demonstration, Ashley heard a door open followed by the clinking of a dog tag against its collar. Footsteps followed close behind until a blonde-haired woman and a two-and-half-foot tall dog emerged from a hallway leading from the back of the house.

"Mmm, Chels dinner smells delicious. As always," she added, smiling.

"Girl, you know your dad taught me well. Worked for the man all through high school." Chelsea thought for a second. "Don't tell my parents that, though. They think they taught me all they know."

Spencer chuckled lightheartedly. "I'll take your secret to my grave."

Ashley watched the light banter, feeling slightly out of place. "My bad Ashley," Chelsea said , noticing the brunette's slight uneasiness. "Spencer, our guest came early." Chelsea walked up to her friend, placing a hand gently on the small of her back as she guided her body to face Ashley's. "Spencer, meet Ashley Davies. Ashley, meet Spencer Carlin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ashley Davies," Spencer smiled, face turned slightly away from the brunette's as she put her hand out in greeting.

"Likewise, Spencer Carlin." Ashley took her hand, watching as Spencer's head shifted towards her voice. Ashley couldn't help but take in the view Spencer was beautiful. Gorgeous. Hair, a golden blond. Body, a petite frame in a slightly athletic way but not overly so. Her smile, with its gentle playful nature, inviting. But what struck Ashley most was her eyes. A vacant sapphire slightly clouded, but not without its light. It seemed distant, but near. Knowing. And it confirmed her thoughts Spencer was, indeed, blind. But Ashley was so entranced that she failed to hear Spencer's question. The blonde chuckled.

"You seem to have caught on," Spencer said smugly.

"I'm sorry," Ashley spoke, confused. "Caught on?"

"Mhm. To my, as some call it, blindness."

"What?" the brunette questioned, genuinely surprised. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, mostly your inability to hold up your end of the conversation," Spencer said, smirking. "But also because you're still holding my hand." Ashley let go immediately, opening her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off. "It's okay, Ashley. I'm just giving you a hard time."

"I'm sorry," Ashley said, cheeks hinged with pink. "I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"No worries," she responded, smiling at her. Playful.

Chelsea looked at the two, amused. "Well, why don't you two go sit down while I finish up dinner. Should be a few more minutes."

The two complied, Spencer leading the way into the living room. Ashley was immediately amazed by how well she knew the area, noticed as she turned corners almost mechanically, but still with an air of effortlessness. Bear followed alongside her, tail wagging.

They sat in the living room, Ashley on the sofa perpendicular to Spencer's recliner. It was silent for a few minutes, somewhere between comfortable and a bit awkward.

"You seem…nervous?" Spencer said, subconsciously petting Bear's head with her right hand.

"Are you asking me or making an observation?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm not nervous…" Ashley spoke, unconvincingly.

Spencer faced towards the sound of her voice, lips turning up in amusement. "You sound unsure."

"I don't do you always do that?"

"Do what?" Spencer said, innocently.

"That it's like you're challenging me."

Spencer smiled. "Not at all, just curious."

"No, I'm not nervous," Ashley spoke firmly.

"Most people are when they first meet me."

The brunette hesitated as she took in Spencer's words. They were said with confidence, perhaps even with an air of nonchalance. But Ashley heard the hurt in Spencer's voice, hidden behind her whispered challenges.

"You're not the least bit intimidating," she said honestly.

"I think a disability automatically deems a person intimidating."

"Well," Ashley smirked, "I'm not most people, Spencer."

"No," she admitted, holding back a smile. "I don't think you are."

They shared a moment, both unsure of its true implications, but felt its weight. Ashley gazed at her freely. She'd seen beautiful women before, dated them even. But Spencer Carlin was different, that she could tell.

Spencer felt Ashley's eyes raking over her, she smiled internally deciding against saying anything. The feeling was nice.


End file.
